Motokawa no Atsuko : the Fourth
by Bara Shibenjin
Summary: By social standards, Fujiwara no Sai did not appear normal. He thought so differently than most and was certain he was alone in that. A girl teaches him he was wrong. But she's the fourth...the fourth possible wife for the Emperor's son : Sai x OC. On hiatus for now.
1. Day 1 : Nobility

**Disclaimer(s) : **Hikaru no Go is the property of Yumi Hotta, Takeshi Obata and Shonen Jump, respectively… I'm just borrowing Sai ;)

To start with, this is my first real fic, beyond 3 chaps/parts that is. But no, I'm not asking that you give special reviews just because of that.

This involves that certain Fujiwara no Sai and an OC I came up with for him. This is also not set in the same time as Hikaru no Go itself, it is set in the Heian Era in Japan. A lot of what I address will be of the time period of course.

Naturally, I'll be using Japanese in this story and the following honorifics are in this chapter:  
-san : used when speaking to or about someone in autrhority over you; like Mr. /Mrs. Used by anyone when addressing men and women  
-chan : used as an endearment when speaking to or about a good friend. Used by anyone when addressing women

I would ask that you bear with me and stick around after this chapter. In this one, I'm establishing the OC but I promise Sai will be introduced. Trust me, the description of him in this chapter took a second for me to perfect so I hope I got it right. And without further ado, I hope you enjoy.

* * *

**Motokawa no Atsuko** : the Fourth

Chapter 1 : Nobility

* * *

Just a couple months.

It would only be a couple months or so and then the seasons' change would fully be evident by snowy-white flowers with soft petals and pink centers. Such a sight in combination with the fragrance would be more than enough to support contentedness through the season to come. Closing her eyes to devote focus from one sense to the next, she drew in a breath, marveling at the already fresh air. The sakura would bloom early this year, of that she was sure. But for now, the trees would remain a sea of greens, different shades moving about with a rushing, not unlike the ocean.

A smile came to her face as that rushing air playfully tossed her dark hair about her face, seeming to push her forward along the dirt path leading to town. Due to the trees, nothing more than them were in sight but she could hear the town already, the calls of merchants and the chatter of people. Not a moment more, it all came into view, the bustling town just on the outskirts of the imperial city. The buildings were just a mix of white shoji and the different browns of various woods but everything else was a burst of color. A sunny-yellow kimono, a white umbrella, a bright red lantern, just three colors in the bright mixture. Even in the early morning, decent amount of people lined the streets, the majority under the enticements of the merchants on either side of the main dirt path. This town rarely lacked business, as there was never a shortage of passersby on their way to Kyoto.

And those travelers, of course, had to stop to eat at some point. People were constantly in and out of the restaurants on the main street and this was more apparent when the cooks were good. It just so happened that she was on her way to one the most frequented restaurants in town. She smiled as its mostly dark-wood front came into view. There were already some just going in but instead of following, she moved down the alley beside it to slip into the kitchen. And to be inside it was to have to bear more noise than outside. She hardly seemed overwhelmed by the bustle and weaved around cooks and preparation alike to seek out the person who happened to be the loudest at the time. The loud one turned out to be a middle-aged woman, around her late twenties or so though she appeared somewhat younger, no lines yet decorating her face to betray her age. Ryoya no Midori was her name. She was calling orders over the noise made but scuttling cooks and the clinks and clangs of dishes and the like. Right in mid sentence, she interrupted herself to address the girl that had bowed briefly.

"Ayame is at home sick today," she instructed, "you will cover her tables."

"Yes Midori-san." The girl bowed again after being given her task. To cover that of an absent fellow waitress would mean she would hold charge of 12 different tables, double what she was accustomed to plus this was a day she always normally had off, but it was only for one day after all. She wasn't so selfish that she would deny her employer help when it was more than needed. That wasn't to say she wasn't just a little overwhelmed with the idea of handling twice as many customers. Still, she did her best to put on a brave face as she prepared to leave the ktichen.

"Ohayou, Atsuko-chan." Declared a familiar voice as a greeting for the morning.

She, Atsuko that was, turned to see her friend Kyokou approach with a smile. The name suited Kyokou for more reasons than one. But no matter what trouble she could get into for gossiping, the girl would go right on talking with the rest of the waitresses; Kyokou was known for having exactly what her name indicated: a big mouth. Of course, she never really did get into trouble because she was clever enough to know what to say in order to cause a certain reaction etc.

"Kyokou-chan." Atsuko began, noting the many dishes on the tray her friend held, "We have been busy already?"

The mentioned tray of emptied dishes was shifted for better hold before the other girl replied, "As always," Kyokou answered with a laugh before she began to pass by into the kitchen. But before she did, she turned to her friend. "My tables aren't so bad, as usual, so I've been covering half of Ayame's, you don't have to tend to all 12."

"Oh thank you!" Atsuko immediately cried, a look of relief spreading over her face. "I'll treat to ramen tonight."

And with that, the two parted for the moment, Kyokou to take dishes to the kitchen and Atsuko to begin tending to her six tables. Fortunately, her section was not entirely filled right then. There were only two tables being occupied and she made her way to each in turn, first questioning if an order had been taken. Neither table had been attended to before she arrived so she placed the orders after heading back to the kitchen.

This, the busy restaurant, was called Ryoya and was known to have the town's finest yakisoba. The inside was mostly white and dark brown but bits of color broke up the monotony. The cushions expertly arranged around the short tables were a fine, dark red and all the dishes were bright white. The restaurant was spilt down the center by a wide walkway for the watiresses and guests as they stepped unto the raised floor the tables stood on. The walkway led straight to the ktichen, none of it visbile except the curtain that marked it and if the kitchen was by passed to follow the floor in the only other direction it went, one would find a few seperate divided by shoji and each having a set of sliding doors.

. . : : . .

Besides tending to customers throughout the afternoon, the majority of which ordered up the yakisoba, no surprise, Atsuko thought things were otherwise uneventful. She was used to working at the restaurant and had been for some years now so after getting into her usual pace of things, work was simple. Still, the day promised to be a good one and she trusted it would be so.

As it turned out, fortune smiled upon the hope of a good day.

It was late in the afternoon. The place held just a handful of occupied tables, two for Atsuko but like the rest, the people occupying them had stopped in for simple reasons: drinks before dinner and a place to sit and talk. The ones drinking were, of course, it bit more _lenient_ in general volume but it was not so bad. These people needed much less attending so she had busied with other work.

Kneeling beside a recently empty table, wet cloth was bunched in her hand. One hand held back sleeves as the other moved over a polished tabletop to clean the surface after a pair of particularly messy guests. By now, it was dimmer inside and warmer, as the sun seemed determined to spread warmth right up until it would finally sink onto the horizon. It was tolerable, Atsuko supposed, but not entirely. It was just warm enough that she felt very comfortable, enough to doze off if she shut her eyes. Midori-san would fire her for it though, so Atsuko set to finishing her cleaning.

It was then, after the crowd of the early afternoon had gone, that he entered Ryoya.

Atsuko had only noticed the presence of a new customer after he had passed her and choosing to sit at one of the tables Kyokou was responsible for. She would not have taken notice of him, much less cast a second glance after him, except that his garments prompted that she do so. Simply put, he was dressed in a noshi, white, black and a violet with long black hair laying down his back. All the garments were of his class. Still, it was the outfit his class would have worn for another occasion besides coming to a place like this. Atsuko guessed he had been visiting someone or had come from Kyoto's imperial courts. And while Ryoya was somewhat famous in the town, it was not often that a noble from the imperial city would turn up in the restaurant.

She knew Kyokou held quite the responsibility as it was now her duty to ensure that the particular needs of this noble were met. From him, one ill-spoken word of the restaurant would mean its end, especially if his opinion was well valued. Seeing that she could, Atsuko went on cleaning the table she had previously set to work on. It was nearly clean but she was redoing it just to watch how her friend would handle the situation. It was easy to do this discreetly as where she knelt faced the nobleman's back.

Kyokou seemed to handle things well enough, she wasn't nervous, though her first reaction to greeting the man was a briefly wavering expression. It was so quick that he could not have noticed but Atsuko had seen it since she knew her friend well. Kyokou's pleasant expression for greeting had just barely flickered to something like disgust before she had spoken. Atsuko sighed to herself.

An ugly noble.

That would be the cause for Kyokou to be disgusted with the man before she had even spoken. Like most people, her friend placed quite the value on physical appearance by society's standard and, apparently, this man met very few of the social standards. As was her habit when concentrating on a thought, Atsuko pursed her lips just slightly, her hands ceasing moving cloth over the table as she polished. How odd that a noble was found ugly…

That was really very weird.

Didn't nobles place the utmost devotion to exceeding the social standards of beauty?…  
There must be some reason he was a noble since appearance apparently could not have merited his status.

After the order was finished, Kyokou left the table and made her way toward Atsuko. While she was taking the longer way to the kitchen, this gave her a chance for a brief exchange with her friend, who was grateful since she hoped her friend would confirm what she suspected. And she did.

Now that he could not see her, the look of disgust returned to Kyokou as allowed her nose to crinkle like there was something foul in the air. After Atsuko rose, she simply stated, "He's ugly."

"But he is a nobleman." She reasoned. It didn't make sense to her.

"See for yourself." Was the final offer, and the one to which it had been directed easily decided that she would take it up.

Gathering up the cloth, Atsuko placed it in its proper place and followed her friend. The two went right into the kitchen and collected up a few drinks and a dish that had been ordered for a pair of their tables. Leading, Kyokou glanced over her shoulder with a warning look that seemed to say Atsuko should prepare for the worst.

"He is of the Fujiwara clan." Kyokou said, "Midori-san said there is one like him that comes for games around this time."

As for the games, they were go. It was becoming popular locally, spurred on by the imperial city, and the three back rooms of the restaurant each contained a go board. Occasionally, they were used for a spare game or two but mostly teaching games were played on them. If this Fujiwara came here often enough, Atsuko guessed he might teach the game or be learning it but she couldn't be sure. She was never given order to attend to the players so she held no knowledge of them except the one Kyokou now referred to. His full name escaped her but she remembered what the waitresses said of him, that he was a strange one, an unappealing man by the world's standards. In her mind, she empathized with him for that since she was also a 'strange one' but a more accepted one since she had lived here all her life.

After finishing her comment, Kyokou passed through the curtains separating the kitchen from the area the guests occupied. Somewhat disbelieving, Atsuko began to smile a little, a mildly confused smile of course, but the moment she passed through the curtains herself, the expression vanished. Just off on her left, sitting before an empty table was the nobleman in question.

He appeared concentrated on a book opened before him on the dark table, concentrated with a pair of wisteria-hued irises. His face showed a fair complexion but not one as pale as society would say it should be. From under the dark hat atop his head was hair of a deep black. The straight length fell down his back and onto the floor as he sat. It was long, but shorter strands had come loose from the rest to frame the sides of his fair face. In the setting sunlight through the window, violet reflected off each of the dark strands and Atsuko noticed just what made this man so _ugly_: his face was clean. There was no mustache or patch outlining his chin. As social standard had it, it was quite the necessity for men to have those spots of hair on their faces and he did not. That, and his frame must explain the collective opinion of the waitresses here. His stature was also off if you were following social standard. It declared all, men and women both, should have good round figures as if they were _more_ than well fed. It was not so with this man. His frame was tall and lithe even. In all, he seemed to hold little regard for what society would say of him, even if he was noble.

Atsuko could not be sure how long she stood there, though the tray she held miraculously stayed stationary as she did. One thing was utterly striking, the man himself. He was never farther from being hideous. To call him so was to call the sun the moon. She found herself uncaring if she was the only one in the world that thought so, but this noble was the most handsome man her eyes had ever taken in.

This could not be the one of the Fujiwara clan, the one the waitresses claimed was positively beastly.

It could not be him.

As if her disbelief was cried out loud, he then looked up from his book, light eyes falling only on the girl still standing not so far away with a tray on her arm. Atsuko was only just realizing her terrible mistake, that she had been staring, when the hints of a smile gradually appeared on his pale lips. By all means, it should have been a scowl to demand why a common waitress would have been stupid enough to have stared at a noble, but he had smiled, and it was a bemused expression. Still, he returned to his book after just a moment of regarding her. She was only a waitress after all.

Quickly flushing, Atsuko forced her gaze away after he had returned to his book and she continued to the table she should have been tending to minutes ago. Her stupidity was more and more embarrassing as she thought about it.

She'd come straight out of the kitchen and stopped.

And stood.

Staring.

At a noble who could cost her her very job if he wanted.

Atsuko couldn't believe she'd been that stupid.

The drinks were set down and she hastily returned to the kitchen to think without receiving stares, especially not one from _him_.

Safe near the linen closet, Atsuko sighed in frustration. Yes, the man was incredibly handsome, she wouldn't ever bother disputing it, but her staring had been very, _very_ stupid. As far as power went, nothing was impossible for the imperial family. The nobility was closer to them than any other group and the closest of all was the clan known as Fujiwara! Rumor had it that some of their people were marrying into the imperial family itself! Kyokou had done fine so far in making sure the man was content with Ryoya but here she'd almost completely ruined that! Thank kami he hadn't been offended.

She was so stupid.

Atsuko took in a breath, trying to calm down and start to push her mistake to the back of her mind. It nearly worked until a frightening possibility came to mind. She wasn't sure which was worse, having made such a stupid mistake in front of the most attractive man she'd ever seen or the possibility of Midori-san finding that out. Oh she was in serious trouble if Midori somehow found out! Atsuko had to stop and take another breath to calm down again. Whatever would happen would happen, for now she could concentrate on finishing work until it was time for her to leave for the day.

Unfortunately for her, he seemed determined to stay until she left. It wasn't intentional, she knew, but still.

As an hour or so passed, Atsuko spent more time cleaning than anything. The amount of customers in the restaurant could be counted on one hand and none were at her tables. It would be better just to go home. It was still a little embarrassing to have to keep passing him by on her way to the back of the restaurant for various items as she cleaned. Her steps only seemed louder now that there were only a few people talking, not enough to cover up such little noises. The ninth time she passed, she had nearly tripped but caught herself and was immediately sputtering silent thanks to kami. The last thing she needed was to embarrass herself in front of him again.

She continued on her way, kneeling to properly arranging the mats around an empty table. Dinner guests would flood the place in only another couple hours and she was glad she'd be gone before then. Still, cleaning was not the most entertaining thing to do so her mind wandered absently. Fujiwara. What was is full name? She couldn't remember at the time and it didn't come to her until a moment later. Sai wasn't it? She was fairly sure the other waitresses spoke of a Fujiwara no Sai.

"Kyokou-chan." She said as her friend was passing with a tray; at least one of them had a customer. "Isn't he Fujiwara no Sai?"

Kyokou's face was a little twisted with thought and partial disgust at the topic, "I don't know."

"Can you ask him for me?"

That slight disgust vanished and was replaced with a smirk, "...I'm not surprised the strange one thinks another odd one is attractive."

At the implication, Atsuko immediately flushed. There was no use trying to cover it up with words so she dismissed the idea of replying that way. "Just ask please." It should have been a question but it was more of a demand since she was becoming frustrated with herself for blushing so quickly. Hopefully that would make her friend displeased and forget what she'd even implied.

That was what Atsuko hoped but the demand had the opposite effect. Kyokou barely cared and interpreted it as Atsuko getting defensive, which meant her implication was right. She grinned, "I'll ask." Kyokou was clever, the type that could easily manipulate words…

Thinking of which- "Don't tell him you're asking for me!" Atsuko hissed at her departing friend. But Kyokou only laughed in reply.

* * *

Wow that was a lot longer than I thought it would turn out to be…eheh. In my defense, I was establishing setting.

So how was it? Reviews would make me very, very happy since they let me know that I've got interested readers...or disinterested readers I guess? Be brutal if you must!

- Bara


	2. Day 2 : Marriage!

**Disclaimer(s) :** Hikaru no Go is the property of Yumi Hotta, Takeshi Obata and Shonen Jump, respectively… And Sai's not in this chapter but he'll definitely be in the next one :3

Second chapter up, obviously. Found some issues with the first but hey, this _is _my first lengthy fic. Just one question, was my description of Sai a little much?

In any case, hopefully this chapter will be better, ne? I put more of Atsuko's thoughts into it.

**Japanese in this chapter : **

- O-kyaku-san & O-kyaku-sama are very polite ways to address a guest. It's like saying "honorable guest/customer".

* * *

**Motokawa no Atsuko : the Fourth**

Chapter 2 : Marriage?!

* * *

Kyokou's smirk soon became a knowing smile, before she turning right back around to go ask what she said she would. She was quick enough that Atsuko couldn't have stopped her if she tried.

All the same-

"Kyokou!" Atsuko hissed after her again but the only response this time was Kyokou making her steps faster.

She was going to get it.

So sure the situation was about to take a bad turn, bad for herself anyway, Atsuko knelt again, this time forgetting cleaning to sit behind the short shoji wall. He was just on the other side; she could see his outline through the rice paper. Maybe it would be quick and Kyokou wouldn't say much… Atsuko shook her head. Who was she trying to fool? Kyokou was going to make this a mess. At least it wouldn't be her fault if the restaurant's reputation was dead after this. Well, it still would be indirectly but it didn't matter.

"Please pardon me, O-kyaku-sama." Came Kyokou's voice.

At least she was showing proper humility…

"Yes?" the voice in reply almost sounded curious but Atsuko was to taken with reflecting on his tone than what he might have said. After all, this was the first she'd heard him speak.

He sounded young, maybe a few years older than herself though she'd already noticed from her earlier staring. Atsuko stopped thinking to keep from remembering what happened earlier; she knew she'd just start blushing again.

"One here in the restaurant-"

Atsuko mentally winced at the blunt detail.

Did she have to be so close to the truth?

Nervously, Atsuko scooted closer to the dividing screen so her back was almost pressed against it.

Kyokou finished, "-has asked me if you would answer a question."

A pause.

Was he thinking about it?

Would he already have assumed that the stupid waitress would be the same one to ask?

"Go on." He prompted.

Atsuko could swear he was smiling when he had answered. She could hear the expression in his tone but she wished she was not behind a shoji screen. They were thin but not that thin.

Yes, she would have liked to have seen his face as he answered.

Just to check if he was smiling of course.

"She-"

Atsuko did wince this time.

Kyokou was going to get it.

"-would like to know if your name is Fujiwara no Sai."

Another pause.

She was beginning to dislike pauses.

Then, he chuckled, "Indeed it is."

Relaxing, she gave a quiet, relieved sigh. So far, Kyokou hadn't offended him and he was truly Fujiwara no Sai, confirmed by the man himself. Well the other girls would have a story now wouldn't they? The 'strange one' embarrassed herself in front of Fujiwara no Sai, she could hear them whispering already…

"May I tell her?"

She could have just thanked him and left couldn't she?

But she hadn't.

Atsuko knew her friend well enough to understand why she'd bothered with that question. It wasn't so much to continue respecting the noble but more to plant curiosity in his head, to make him wonder who had asked about him in the first place.

Because it wouldn't be more embarrassing for him to confront her about it.

Oh of course not.

"I'm afraid there would be no point." He answered simply.

Another pause but it had to be for a different reason.

No point? What did he mean by that?

Unless…

Soft shuffling snapped Atsuko out of her thoughts and she could see he was getting up. Quickly, Atsuko moved away from the screen to look as if she was cleaning up the next table from his. If it worked or not, she didn't know since she kept her gaze on the grains of the dark wood.

"Thank you." He continued, speaking of the service he had received, "I visit again when time allows."

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw him pass on his way out. When he was out of her vision, she looked up expecting him to be gone but there he stood by the door. He had paused to glance at Atsuko who immediately flushed. He didn't say a word and just smiled, a faint expression that seemed to say he knew something she didn't.

Unconsciously, she swallowed, like doing so would stop the blush threatening to color her cheeks.

She knew it.

He definitely knew she'd been eavesdropping on his conversation with Kyokou. After all, he did imply that he was aware someone was listening.

And she was blushing in front of him again!

To realize it just made her face flush even more. Her hands twitched as the thought to cover up the betraying color crossed her mind. Instead her gaze fell and she let the shorter strands shade her eyes. Needless to say, the blush was still there.

When she finally drew her gaze up, he was gone. Good. She couldn't embarrass herself a third time. Though if the circumstances had been different, she wouldn't have minded if he had stayed…

He was odd for a noble. Though he hadn't been in the restaurant long, from what she'd observed of him, he differed from each little, rather insignificant rule society imposed on everyone. His appearance was almost completely opposite of what it 'should' be. And on top of that, he wasn't arrogant. All of the nobility she'd ever heard of or seen were so consumed with themselves, men and women. Kami forbid you offended one, which was too easy to do, since they were bound to overreact in response. Sure, overacting could have been ignored…if it was someone normal, but the nobility could quite easily make your name the most hated in all of Japan. Her stare could easily have offended him, it was sort of offensive in general but he had only looked amused.

How could a noble be so different?

. . : : . .

Despite Kyokou's behavior, Atsuko still treated to ramen as she said she would. In her opinion, it wasn't deserved since her meddling friend had come just a little too close to the truth but she guessed it didn't really matter. He, Sai that was, had ended up finding out she'd been eavesdropping anyway so he definitely knew she had been the 'one here in the restaurant'.

The ramen wasn't near as good as it was in Ryoya but the two spent the evening talking, and a little threatening when Kyokou began suggesting ways for Atsuko to draw the noble's notice again sometime. And Atsuko knew it was time to consider heading home when the last of the suggestions actually ended with her declaring she would "-never dress in such a way!". Unfortunately, she'd been a little too loud and the look from a couple of the waitresses certainly hinted that it was time to go.

With 'goodnights', the two parted ways and Atsuko started back up the dirt path she'd taken to town. As the lights and noise faded behind her, the town was hidden by the trees soon enough. She looked ahead, still trying to figure out what would cause Fujiwara no Sai to stand against society so openly. Simply put, it was bold.

Within the mile, the trees finally became more sparse but not by much. The moon still cast dark shapes on the path by the large shadows of the trees. A tall shape became more outlined as Atsuko continued walking toward it. When the trees cleared, making room for a water source, the shape could be seen for what it was, a two-story building: home. Moving off the old path, she stepped onto the rock one that led up to the house.

As she pushed the door open, she smiled at the sound she was greeted with: the fast _sssh_ of moving water. Distinctly, it sounded exactly like what it was, a waterfall. Leaving all the layers of her kimono except one, she moved through the house and left through the back, the sounds getting louder with each step.

The last layer of her kimono lay folded in the grass as Atsuko stood in water up to her shoulders. Washing her hair would take some time considering it fell to her waistline, not as long as society standard would have it.

Society standard was downright obnoxious. Especially since she wasn't _supposed_ to bathe every other day. Left up to society, that only would have been every other week or so. But the way she saw it, why not use what was available to her? She might be the 'strange one who lives at the river's origin' but living here wasn't without benefits, this being one of them.

The house was also quite sizable. Well it wasn't so much a house as an estate. It had belonged to her parents but a strain of pneumonia had claimed their lives so she was left with all the spaciousness to herself. It was a waste.

Too much space for one person…

If her parents were alive, they would be living here as well. It was common for a woman to live in the house she was born in, a precaution so her inevitable husband did not try to control her if she lived with him.

Atsuko smiled.

It wasn't such a bad thing to know she wasn't the only strange one. Even if she didn't see him again, it was still a comforting thought. She was used to being odd so company wasn't bad at all.

Splashing water onto her face, Atsuko brought her hands up to start scrubbing and in no time and with more water, the make-up was gone. Just another thing she was _supposed_ to have. She thought she was pale enough without it but Midori-san had declared it necessary when working.

Oh all the rules were wonderful.

Finishing up, Atsuko slipped on a different kimono for the night and was soon fast asleep in her room.

. . : : . .

shoji screens kept the sun from immediately finding Atsuko but the inside of the house was still bright. Still, she had not intended to rise at any certain time so when she had woken early as usual, she remained in her comfortable position, drifting back off to sleep again. Or she would have been except-

"Motokawa no Atsuko." a voice suddenly called.

Instantly, she sat up, wondering if she'd heard right. No one bothered coming to her house this early in the morning so why in the world-

"Motokawa no Atsuko."

-would be at her house now? The only one who bothered at all was Kyokou and it couldn't be her since the voice was definitely masculine. But that made even less sense. Some man was bothering her this early in the-

"Motokawa no Atsuko!"

He was significantly louder than last time which was enough to snap her out of confusion for the moment.

"My apologies to keep you waiting O-kyaku-san!" she called back as she threw the covers off and started to get up.

Keeping a frustrated sigh as quiet as possible, Atsuko smoothed out her kimono as best as she could before pulling another few layers of kimonos on and hastily tying an obi around her waist. The mirror, as hard as they were to come by, was in the next room and there wasn't any time. All she hoped was that the unexpected guest would except her excuse about her appearance. Then, she made for the door, stopping to smooth out her hair before she pulled it open and began to address the man, "O-kyaku-san-"

Her eyes widened at taking in the man that stood there. She couldn't possibly know what his name was but the way he was dressed told her all she needed to currently know. He was from the imperial palace itself!

"O-kyaku-sama." She immediately corrected herself and bowed deeply. "My highest apologies. Guests are very rare for me at this time. Please do not consider my appearance to show my respect for His Majesty. The Emperor is Japan, I pray for his good health and long life…"

She stopped hesitantly, wondering if it would be better to continue but she was spared of it.

"Enough." The man said and Atsuko rose from her bow to settle her gaze on him.

He stood completely upright with pride, clothed in expensive garments. In a few words, he wasn't all that attractive to her since he was picturesque of society's perfect man, right down to the goatee. She might have said he was appeased by what she'd said but it was easy to tell by the look on his face that he was impatient for having been made to wait. Still, he didn't point it out but instead removed a short scroll from his robes and looked to it after unraveling it.

"His Majesty, Emperor Kammu summons you to the palace this day on behalf of the royal prince, his son Heizei."

The man stated without much tone but in a way that suggested there was no arguing. Not that she was stupid enough to argue a message from the Emperor himself.

He rolled the scroll up and replaced it before he went on, "You are to come to the imperial gates before sundown." Then, he inclined his head since there was no reason he should do any more than that, before he began to turn.

"Wait!" Atsuko exclaimed before she thought. Of course, she corrected herself, "O-kyaku-sama. Why does the Emperor want me to come to the palace?"

The initial reply she received was the man narrowing his eyes and she understood the gesture for exactly what it was: a warning. Unlike a certain Fujiwara no Sai, this obviously noble man was the type to offend more easily.

Stupid.

She knew she should have thought of that before opening her mouth again.

"My question does not-"

"You." He stated, interrupting her.

She did her best to ignore his rudeness and her expression even managed to stay solid.

"You…" he began again, a smile starting to appear on his face.

However, it wasn't the kind sort, rather, it was almost sarcastic.

"It just so happens that you are the _fourth _consideration in marriage to Prince Heizei."

Once again, her eyes widened but much more this time and her mouth opened slightly.

Marriage.

Prince Heizei.

Palace gates.

Today.

If it was common to have a heart attack at her age, she would have been experiencing one then.

Several times, her mouth opened as if to say something but she closed it each time. It wasn't until the fifth time that she managed something, though it was only two words,

"Why me?"

The man's sarcastic smile faded into a sort of disapproving scowl as he looked her over once.

"Supposedly, you are both well off and attractive…" He allowed the word to dangle scathingly a moment, "though I cannot say anything about the second."

And neither could she really. Atsuko knew she currently looked like a wreck but still, she wasn't hideous. At least she thought she wasn't.

Not having the patience for one single question more, he turned completely and started walking away from the house, leaving a stunned and confused, not to mention messy, Atsuko standing there in her own doorway. She didn't move even after the messenger had disappeared into the tree-line. She couldn't move.

At least not with the same words going through her head again and again.

Marriage.

Prince Heizei.

Palace gates.

Today.

No matter how many times each word stood out in her jumbled mind, it wouldn't register.

**Marriage.**

There was no way in the world she was prepared for that. It wasn't that she was too young, she was 19; it was that, at the moment, she didn't have a desire to be married for any reason. Perhaps the thought might be somewhere in the back of her mind if there was a man in her life, one not as conceited at the rest of the country. But that was impossible wasn't it?

Fujiwara no Sai…

Worse than ever, Atsuko blushed. This was the stupidest thing yet!

Even remotely associating herself and marriage with _him_? _**To**_ him?!

He didn't even know her name!

Then again, did the Prince?

**Prince Heizei.**

Now what sort of person was he anyway? One with even more of an ego than the messenger?

Atsuko almost gagged at the thought.

There was no way she was going to be able to endure a lifetime of that kind of attitude.

But further-

What did he look like?

How did he treat women?

Exactly how many wives did he plan to have?!

All very important and very unanswered questions!

**Palace gates.**

She'd been to Kyoto several times. Praise to Midori-san for making her travel there just for a special kind of soba! Then again, Ryoya was known for yakisoba so it made enough sense.

She could easily find the gates.

**Today.**

…If Kyokou wasn't up yet, she soon would be.

* * *

Typos are a true evil in this world; I hope I didn't do too badly…

Reviews please? That's all I ask.

- Bara


	3. Day 3 : Irony

Chapter 3! Yay?

Disclaimer(s) : Hikaru no Go is the property of Yumi Hotta, Takeshi Obata and Shonen Jump, respectively… Sai is being borrowed once again! Just not for the first setting… but trust me, he _will_ be in the next chappie! In fact, he'll meet Atsuko-chan. Two bad they're not exactly going to hit it off ;)

Also, I'm identifying chapters also as 'days' now for little other reason than I want to.

And enough with my ranting! I'm speeding things along a little since **I'm** even getting impatient XP

* * *

**Motokawa no Atsuko : the Fourth**  
Day 3 : Irony

* * *

The day passed by in a blur. A nerve-wracking, awe-inspiring, downright boring blur. Perhaps it wouldn't have been so blurry if so much new hadn't been introduced into her life. Kyokou had been woken up, around 5am. Of course, she hadn't taken to that well but Atsuko was too stressed at the time. After she explained how she had to get to Kyoto that day, and for the crowned prince of all people!

In the end, Atsuko was dragged through her own house, though Kyokou managed to get her best friend properly arranged for a meeting with royalty. A few layers of kimono had been borrowed from the collection her mother had once worn. The layers were arranged so that the different colors of the sleeves coordinated and it was all silk of course. Kyokou had helped with makeup and it, as she claimed, was her best work.

After that, the two were off to town to fetch a carriage available for transportation to Kyoto. It wasn't necessary that Kyokou go with Atsuko but she had insisted in case something happened. And the two arrived in the capital city in a few hours. The transportation was paid extra to take Atsuko right to the gates. With a hug and wishes to for good luck, Atsuko left her best friend to traipse the city as she took a breath and headed up to the gates. Her name was taken and she was allowed through the gates, escorted by one from the royal courts right into the palace itself, or further into the palace grounds anyhow.

The room she was left in was grand to say the least, ornate, carefully decorated and expertly colored, even if it only was a room just for waiting in, not unlike what one would call a foyer though it was a large one indeed. The ceiling soared high above, red beam crossing it and blending into the red lacquer of the walls. There, numerous scrolls hung unfurled, each depicting art of the greatest detail. Each showed something grandiose, the scene of spring, the palace itself. The work was all good and fine but Atsuko didn't particularly like it. It seemed to her that the artists were trying to hard to capture as much as possible and while that wasn't necessarily bad, she couldn't help wondering why, instead of that, that the artists hadn't focused on perhaps one thing and the effort to make that as beautiful as possible.

The quiet chatter finally reaching her ears said otherwise however. Atsuko could hear murmurs of awe at the artwork, all from two of the three other young women in the room. She'd been too busy taking in her surrounding to have noticed them before then though the one closest to her was not to be ignored. She looked ahead, to the front of the room with such an intent focus, she inspired anyone watching to also look in the direction she was. Her chin was tilted upward just so, to convey the pride she held in herself. Still, Atsuko could tell she wasn't outspokenly arrogant or she would have been talking by now, more than likely. No, whoever she was, she was quite confident and comfortable with herself.

In no time, one of the Emperor's advisers had come to stand before the four women. At the older man's appearance, each of the girl's rose and gave a respectful bow to acknowledge him, a gesture Atsuko was glad to see him return. So far, he didn't have too much of a ego to put up with.

However, all thoughts of normal egos or normal levels of confidence perhaps were forgotten the moment Atsuko was to meet Prince Heizei. She was the fourth after the other three young ladies, an ominous number indeed, and the entire thing was just a mess. All Heizei did was talk about himself. Unlike Fujiwara no Sai, the only other man she'd taken to observing, the Prince's appearance was straight to society's books. It wasn't at all Atsuko's taste, not that she always judged by appearance, and the young man's attitude was no help as far as winning her over as, when he was not boasting about himself in some way, he was complaining.

Personally, she couldn't see how he could find much to object to. How could one if you were royalty and living in such a luxurious palace? Of course, leave it to Heizei to annoy her further. Since his situation really was little to complain about, the man had gone on and on about his go teacher not showing up.

According to Heizei, his teacher was the best the country could offer. And that was perhaps the only useful thing Atsuko had learned that earlier that day.

Truth be told, it should be an honor to be chosen as a possible consort for a Prince but Atsuko couldn't bring herself to care all that much.

And this was all brought about by her father. In the past, apparently her father had known the emperor himself. Why he had never mentioned it would have been a mystery to most but Atsuko knew; from what she remembered, her father had been a humble sort of man.

As she had been escorted to see the Prince, the same older noble from before had told her about the nature of her actual invitation. Her father and the Emperor, being such good friends, had arranged for their children to marry once it was found out the Emperor had a son and his friend had a daughter. If it were not for that, she would not have been a consideration at all, as to have a fourth girl was an ill-tended circumstance since four itself was such and unfortunate number.

As she spoke with this man, he also relayed the fact that though she would meet the Prince that day, she would not every day. By Emperor's Kammu's own command, each girl was to visit him on a separate day of the week until his son decided which he desired as wives.

At the very least, Atsuko supposed Heizei was passable for a husband but she did not truly want to think about such serious things now that she was out of the imperial palace. As she sat her room at the inn, Go was mostly what she presently reflected upon.

Despite how she had not played a game in perhaps a few months' time she was now quite eager to. Well, with a certain person anyhow. If Heizei was not lying about his instructor being the best Japan offered, then a match with that man would be something.

Atsuko had learned the game at a very young age. Her father had taught it to her and made her progress. He might have been a humble man but he was not always so well-intended. Atsuko was made to play many games of go, many more than she desired to. Easily, the more practice she got the better she became as her skill for the game was even greater than her father's. She might even have been a prodigy but that was not what Atsuko wanted. Every game she played was one she hated. It was never fun to win when a victory was always what was expected of her…

Still, she had the strangest desire to play against Heizei's teacher. In way, perhaps she wanted to lose to the man, to prove her father was wrong in some way, that she could be beaten at the game. Maybe then it would not bother her anymore.

"Atsuko-chan!" A voice practically sang with glee.

No doubt it was Kyokou. And indeed it was; the other young woman happily entered the room with a smile.

"Let's go out! there are so many things to see here!"

"don't you mean so many attractive men to see?" Atsuko accused.

After all, her friend had a great liking for the opposite sex. Atsuko could certainly understand why but men were all that occupied Kyoukou's mind sometimes and she'd had enough male ego for one day. Still, her friend was relentless,

"Oh come on!" she insisted, clearly avoiding the accusation because it was, in fact, true, "At least come to this one stand with me, they sell some of the best candy I've ever tasted!"

"Alright." Atsuko finally relented.

One was never too old for candy.

So, after putting on the proper make-up for going out to town, Atsuko and Kyokou headed out.

* * *

. . : : . .

* * *

Thankfully the Emperor was a most gracious and understanding man, one who he had not hesitated to fully explain his absence to. That absence had been fully unanticipated but Emperor Kammu would not even hear an apology for it claiming if he were in the man's place, he would have done the same and skipped something a simple as a go lesson. It was not important went it came to matters of life and death.

That man was none other than Fujiwara no Sai.

As he walked the streets of the capital city, he could not help but be thankful the the Emperor was a sensible man. His son might be another story entirely but the young lord was to be tolerated, Sai had little choice for he was one of the young man's teachers.

Heizei was a difficult student but teaching him was not impossible. Besides, Sai did not turn away a challenge when it came to the game he had dedicated his life to.

Still, it had not been so important that he would turn away his friend. Earlier that day and the entire day before, Sai had been in a rural town some distance from Kyoto. There, his lifelong friend Nakamaru stayed, ill. Whatever the man was afflicted with, no one seemed to know but he and Sai hoped his health would return swiftly. Nakamaru, stubborn young man that he was, had insisted he was well enough for his servants to look after him but Sai had convinced him to allow him to stay for a couple days.

By now, he was certain his friend was well on his way to recovering, as, when he had left, Nakamaru had been getting better already. The thought pleased Sai.

Presently, he was out enjoying the noises of the city, meaning, he was leisurely strolling through the man streets. He did not regret leaving the city but to hear its familiar noises and to recognize the streets and shops brought about the welcoming feeling of being home.

The vendors were out, calling about whatever they had to offer. At the time of day, foods were mostly offered and a wonderful array of scents was there to lure the coins right out of ones hands. Of course, many people were out as well, men proudly dressed and women in beautifully decorated kimonos.

"I say they're much too bright!" said the voice of one woman.

Sai glanced in her direction, noticing she was quickly shushed by another couple women there with her. They looked like the types that were all quite wealthy.

Without the least hint of suspicion, he drifted to a certain stand not far from the women and feigned interest in the merchandise before him in order to hear what they were saying. For all he knew, they were talking about fruit but something about the woman's almost shocked tone struck his interest. Why? Even he wasn't entirely sure.

"Still, she's such a stupid girl for coming out in public dressed like that." Another woman voiced as the trio spoke a little more quietly.

"Yes, I agree." The third hastily added, "Those sleeves are simply _awful_."

Sai couldn't help a soft chuckle. Kimono sleeves were what the women were so intently discussing? A silly thought. Clothing never made the person even if society would demand otherwise.

And, as if merely to prove that idea, Sai followed the gaze of the women. It happened to land across the small street and on a pair of young women. One was dressed passably, almost plainly in color though she seemed to make up for it with her youthful spirit; he could see the merchant chatting most amicably with her. She was the same girl that had served him at that restaurant.

As for the other, she was apparently the one with the horrible choice in clothing. That, he would certainly say, was an opinion just of those women for, if he had to say, he liked the kimono she wore, layered sleeves or none at all.

The kimono she wore was a beautiful turquoise in color, with cheerful white and orange hues in the form of koi on the sleeves and skirt of the garment. It went well with her light skin even if it didn't appear terribly expensive, but he was not the best judge for that sort of thing.

Being that she was not really facing him, he could see that her dark hair was only just to her waist. A bit short perhaps, but not objectionably so.

Perhaps it was just the kimono but the young woman seemed quite delicate to him. Her stature was petite and her movements graceful in some way he couldn't exactly define.

He watched without a word as she and her friend finally decided to purchase some type of local candy. And that taken care of, they turned back to the street.

His mouth opened in slight surprise.

It was the one girl from the restaurant.

At remembering the occasion, a small smile came to his lips. Yes, she was the one who had seemed to take with the idea of looking at him. Ironic that it was her he had been observing, or was observing still. He might have had better manners and decided not to stare any longer but alas, given how long she'd looked at him, Sai figured he was justified. Indeed, it was not at all a hard thing to look at her.

As for the infamous sleeves, they seemed fine to him. They were bright, yes, but brightness was not such a bad thing. Those brown eyes of hers were fairly bright after all…

Finally she and her friend began their walk again and Sai was left to wonder why that same curious girl was now here in Kyoto.

* * *

. . : End Day 3 : Irony : . .

* * *

For all you history nerds, I do realize Kyoto was known as Heian-kyō back in the Heian Era but for better coherency, I chose the more recent name.

This chapter was a bit shorter than the last but at least we're trucking! Even as I type this, I'm at work on the next chapter, when Atsuko and Sai meet properly! And so we go.

- Bara


End file.
